“I genuinely appreciate this opportunity to express my love for tennis,” wrote the "Lolliop" artist and blogger in the letter to Sports Illustrated. “One of the main reasons I enjoy the sport so much is because when I actually tried to play, it was unbelievably difficult. So ever since I’ve been drawn to the great talents of the game.”

The hip-hop star and New Orleans native, who has about two months left to serve of a yearlong sentence for gun possession, said he’s a “huge” fan of top-ranked Nadal. Wayne, real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., said he expects the Spanish great to win the U.S. Open.

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“He already became the 2nd youngest player to win 8 major titles before the age of 25 … even while battling knee tendinitis, he’s still ranked #1,” Wayne wrote.